


Twice Around

by rosebud1000



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Aged Up University, Attempt at Humor, Engagement, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Plagg Being Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Shenanigans, Tikki Is So Done (Miraculous Ladybug)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:53:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25434184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosebud1000/pseuds/rosebud1000
Summary: Marinette is going to propose to Adrien. They're in their last year of university, and it's now or never. Meanwhile, Adrien is planning a proposal of his own. And Plagg? He's not doing a single about it, he's just along for the ride (and cheese. he wants cheese).
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Plagg & Tikki, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Plagg & Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 84





	1. Establishing General Shenanigans

**Author's Note:**

> Hey. So, I had this idea. And I thought, yeah, I can write this. And somehow it got three chapters.

Plagg sighed, squishing around and getting comfortable in the pile of fabric scraps that had taken up permanent residence in Marinette’s bag. His own chosen couldn’t be bothered to give him something soft to sit on, and this was a welcome change from the textbooks he was normally resigned to.

“Plagg!” Tikki hissed, her blue eyes glowing from the other end of the bag. “What are you doing here? Go back to Adrien!”

“He’s taking Advanced Calculus, Tikki. How do you expect me to sit through that?”

“Because History of Fashion is  _ so much better. _ ”

“Exactly.” Unfortunately, Tikki didn’t seem to agree, as she dove towards him.

“Seriously, get out.”

“Hmm…” Plagg floated up, pretending to think. “No.”

Tikki surely continued lecturing him, but Plagg had stopped listening. Something else had caught his eye. A small piece of paper, folded up and absolutely covered with Marinette’s handwriting.

_ I wonder what this is. _ Plagg reached for it, reading the loopy letters faster than any human would be able to.

“Plagg, put that down!” Tikki shrieked, but not quickly enough.

He grinned, his eyes widening. “She’s going to propose to him.”

Tikki huffed, which was all the confirmation he needed.

“I can’t believe it! Of course she is-- this is going to be  _ so good-- _ ” He broke off into laughter, Tikki pulling the paper from his grip.

“It’s not funny,” she said. “It’s romantic.”

* * *

Four hours later found Plagg back in Adrien’s shirt and on their way to a date with Marinette.

She opened the door, wearing a clearly unfinished dress.

Adrien smiled. “I like your dress.”

“Oh, this mock-up?” She twirled, showing off the flare of the skirt. “The lack of hems does add a nice touch.”

True to her word, the straps and hem hadn’t even been pinked, leaving stray threads across her shoulders and calves.

“You know exactly what I like,” Adrien said, pulling her in for a quick kiss.

Marinette laughed, bringing him inside and closing the door. “I’ll go change, wait here.”

She disappeared into her room, Adrien sighing and looking around the apartment. His mind, no doubt, had gone to the same place Plagg’s had: the single, glorious semester they’d lived together before Marinette had transferred for her final year and the commute hadn’t been worth it for either of them.

Having Tikki constantly nearby, not worrying about identities nearly as much, and a fresh loaf of bread almost every day. Even from here, Plagg could see the sourdough starter sitting on her kitchen counter. How many perfect slices had that jar produced? How much creamy cheese had he spread across a still-warm piece, the crumb barely set?

“Damn,” Adrien sighed, breaking Plagg’s reverie. “I have  _ got _ to marry her.”

Plagg paused. Was what he was thinking about to happen? Was Adrien finally going to start planning something? And while Marinette was doing the same?

“I wonder what kind of ring she’d like…”

Halfway through dinner, Adrien excused himself to use the restroom. In reality, he’d spent the entire dinner trying to remember what color a topaz was, and gotten up to google it. Leaving Plagg alone with Marinette and Tikki.

“So,” he said, from his position hidden under Adrien’s napkin, “I hear you’re planning something for my chosen.”

Marinette blushed.

“I tried to stop him,” Tikki said, peeking out from her holder’s sweater.

“Well?” Plagg asked. “Is it tonight?”

“Tonight? No! I don’t even have a ring yet.”

He paused, not surprised to hear that response. Marinette was going to obsess over every little detail… this was going to be a race neither of them knew about, and Plagg was curious to see who would win.

Her eyes widened in horror. “You’re not going to tell him, are you?”

“Well…” Plagg  _ wasn’t _ going to, but any means of acquiring cheese was justified.

“Two dozen camembert cheese puffs.”

“Make it three,” he said, just because he could.

“Fine.”

* * *

Topaz, as it turned out, came in nearly any color, depending on the impurities and treatment. There was even a way to make the gems holographic. However, Adrien ended up putting ring shopping on pause, because, as it turned out, the ring was only one detail in many.

“Where should I propose?” Adrien asked Plagg for the twentieth time in the past five minutes. He’d already decided that neither of them wanted a public proposal… but what counted as a public proposal?

Was simply being in a public space enough? Even in a restaurant, where maybe thirty other patrons could see them? What about family? Did  _ they _ count as the “public”? Perhaps this was a “better safe than sorry” scenario and they shouldn’t be anyway near prying eyes.

So, then,  _ where  _ in private? His apartment? Hers? One of Ladybug and Chat’s favorite spots?

He’d already decided to do it as civilians, since they’d be getting married as civilians, and people would probably want to hear the proposal story. Maybe, then, it’d be weird to connect the location to their alter-egos. Or maybe it’d be a sweet gesture to their second lives.

“What about her balcony?” Plagg suggested, mainly to stop the incessant worry.

“Her balcony?”

“Yeah. You used to visit her as Chat there, it’s where you had your first  _ real _ kiss, and she’s been talking about wanting to pick up some of the stuff she left at the bakery and bring it to her new place. You offer to help carry boxes, take her up to the balcony, and bam! You’re engaged.” Okay, so maybe Plagg was also getting impatient with the three dozen cheese puffs he’d yet to receive.

“Wow. You’re totally right, Plagg. Thanks, I’ve got to…”

And Adrien was off yet again, trying to decide what time of day he should plan this for. Plagg sighed. Yeah, the headache was no longer impending, and nowhere near ending.

* * *

Marinette’s apartment smelled like cheese. The moment the puffs were cool, she was packaging them and taking them far, far away from here. Poor Adrien.

In the meantime, however, she had another baking project to attend to.

“I can’t believe you still have that recipe,” Tikki giggled, looking over her shoulder.

“Of course I do.” Marinette narrowed her eyes at the recipe card, which was unfortunately covered in little pink hearts. She was struggling with some details of her proposal, but one thing had been clear from the beginning: Whatever happened was going to include baking something for Adrien. And what better than passionfruit macarons?

The only problem was that apparently, January was  _ not _ a good time to buy fresh passionfruit in Paris. It made her wonder what she’d been doing back in collège, but, well… she’d rather not think about that.

Marinette didn’t like giving up, but it was looking like her only option. There were plenty of other deserts he liked, and while they’d both joke about her teenage obsession, it might not be the best memory to accompany “will you marry me?”.

So. What should she bake, then?

* * *

Adrien was trying to talk to Tikki without Marinette knowing. He was trying to be subtle about it, and Tikki thought he was lucky her holder was as oblivious (and preoccupied) as she was.

Marinette was spending the weekend with him--Alya was dragging her around on some adventure or another, and they’d decided she needed to be spending the night somewhere closer than her own apartment.

Tikki was content to eat macarons from Tom and Sabine’s, because even though the bakery across the street from where she now lived was good, it could never measure up.

Adrien, true to character, woke up earlier than Marinette, made coffee, and sat down in the living room to do his homework.

“Good morning!” Tikki said, phasing through the bedroom door.

“Hi, Tikki.” Adrien set down his pencil. “Actually, I wanted to ask you about something.”

“I know.”

“I think I’m going to propose to Marinette--”

“You  _ are? _ Oh, that’s wonderful, Adrien!” Tikki shrieked, as he hurriedly shushed her.

“AND I’m not sure what to do about the whole ask-the-parents thing.”

“What about it?”

“Well, I don’t know that Marinette would want me to do that. She makes her own decisions, and asking her parents might feel belittling. On the other hand, I do think her parents deserve to know to expect something.”

“I see what you mean.” Tikki sat on the edge of his textbook, thinking. “I’ve seen a lot of different marriage traditions, and how they’ve changed over time. I agree that you should tell her parents, though. I know Marinette’s mentioned the possibility of marriage to them recently, and they seem excited about it. So… maybe ask for advice, instead? Don’t phrase it as ‘can i propose,’ but rather, ‘I’m proposing, do you have any tips?’”

“Oh, wow. You’re right, thanks a lot, Tikki. I guess I’ll stop by the bakery while Marinette’s with Alya.”

“Finish your homework, too,” she reminded him. “And bring me back some apricot macarons, if you can.”

“Hey, Tikki?” he asked, stopping her from leaving the room. “Do you know her ring size?

Tikki thought for a moment. “Five-and-half.”

With that, she disappeared to find Plagg--The little monster who hadn’t told her his holder was planning a proposal as well.

“Oh, hey, sugarcube,” he said sleepily, sitting up when Tikki flicked his tail.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Tikki demanded.

“Tell you?”

“That Adrien’s planning a proposal at the same time that Marinette is.”

Plagg sighed, floating lazily as he wasn’t fully awake. “Didn’t want a repeat of the Velveeta Incident.”

* * *

Adrien took a deep breath as he opened the bakery door. Tikki had said Tom and Sabine were happy to hear Marinette talk about marrying him. This was just a formality--the whole proposal was, really. They’d been dating for almost eight years, and with their graduation this spring, it just made sense.

“Adrien, it’s good to see you,” Sabine said. “If you’re looking for Marinette, I’m afraid she’s not here.”

“It’s good to see you, too.” Adrien glanced into his jacket, where Plagg was eating yet another of the seemingly sourceless (and endless) cheese puffs he’d gotten his paws on. “I’m not looking for Mari, I was actually wanting to talk to you.”

“Is that so? Give me a minute then, dear.”

“ _ Both  _ of you,” he corrected, glimpsing Tom through the kitchen door.

“I see,” she said, smiling. “Would you like anything?”

“No, thank you.”

Sabine turned around, untying her apron. “Tom, can you come out here for a moment? And Pauline, take over the counter.”

Adrien sat down, feeling more nervous than was logical. Plagg, somehow savoring his cheese puff, didn’t provide so much as an encouraging look.

“What did you want to discuss?” Tom asked, sitting in a chair across from him.

“Uhh…” Adrien paused, forced himself to take a breath, then started again. “I’m going to, uh, propose to Marinette soon, I think, on the balcony, actually, and I was wondering if you had any advice?” 

_ Way to convince someone to let you marry their daughter, _ he thought. Run-on sentences. Brilliant technique.

Sabine smiled. “That’s wonderful, Adrien.”

“It is? I mean, it is.”

“Marinette’s lucky to have someone like you,” Tom said, standing. “I’m honestly not sure if there’s anything I could tell you that you don’t already know. And the balcony is an excellent choice.”

“It certainly is,” Sabine agreed, following her husband back to the counter.. “And it gives us a chance to eavesdrop. Are you sure you don’t want anything from the bakery?”

“Apricot macarons?”

“Coming right up,  _ son _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: ring shopping


	2. Ring Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette both go ring shopping... just missing each other as they enter and exit stores.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a scene that in all honestly, belongs in a movie. I tried to write it as best I could, so just... suspend your disbelief, and have fun with all the random information I now have about engagement rings.

Marinette was going to make her own wedding dress. That had never been a question.

She bit her lip, sketching the side of a dress. The current design was 1920’s inspired, based loosely off a flapper dress. She’d lengthened the hem and raised the waist, and was now drawing her replacement for the fringe layers--scalloped lace staring at the waist.

Not that she should be designing a dress when Step One, propose to boyfriend, hadn’t even been completed.

...Not that she should be designing a dress during class, either.

“The way that seams are finished has changed drastically over time. Take this well-preserved dress made in 1872, and we’ll see that…”

Marinette poised her pencil to take notes and forced herself to pay attention. She wanted to make clothes, she didn’t care about seams from 1872. Hopefully, the brand she was interning for would offer her a job at the end of the year. And Adrien could get a job nearby and move into her apartment with her, and they would be married by then, and…

All trains of thought led back to the proposal, it seemed.

For which she was still missing a key ingredient: a ring.

* * *

Neither Marinette nor Adrien had class on Tuesdays--a happy coincidence they’d discovered at the start of the semester--which gave him the perfect opportunity for Operation Proposal.

Today was Monday, so Adrien had asked if she wanted to move the last of her things a week from tomorrow. She was going to meet him for lunch, then they’d walk to the bakery, start packing, and then he’d propose.

This worked out well in the sense that he could decorate the balcony in the morning before she arrived. His Chat Noir instincts were telling him to put up roses and candles, and as romantic as most people found that, he knew it’d just remind her of the time she’d semi-accidentally stood him up.

So roses were out, fine by him. It was, however, January. Which meant his flower selection was limited. After some research, he learned that bulbs would be the easiest to find. They normally blossomed in early spring, but kept in a greenhouse could be made to bloom earlier.

“Flowers are boring,” Plagg said, laying atop Adrien’s pencil case.

“You’re not Marinette,” he reminded the kwami.

“Fine, but what are her favorite flowers, anyway?”

Adrien paused, looking up from his phone. Marinette’s favorite flowers… they were… He didn’t know what his girlfriends favorite flowers were. Kwami, he was in trouble. If he didn’t know her favorite flowers, what business did he have marrying her?

* * *

As soon as Marinette’s class ended, she rushed back to her apartment, stuck in her stuff in the door, and turned around to go ring shopping. She wasn’t entirely what kind of ring he would want, other than probably something silver to match his miraculous.

Hopefully, she’d be able to pick a ring today and have it later this week: Adrien had given her the perfect opportunity to propose. In just over a week, they were going to spend the afternoon together, moving some of her things from the bakery to her apartment. Her plan was to cook dinner when they got back to her place and then propose over desert--she’d finally decided on crêpes suzettes.

“Ring shopping is going to be fun!” Tikki said, peeking out of her purse. “And who knows, maybe we’ll find something truly perfect.”

“I certainly hope so,” Marinette said, turning the corner onto the street that held a cluster of jewelry shops.

She looked around, overwhelmed by the sheer number of storefronts and regretting her lack of prior research. Oh, well. She’d just have to choose a random one and start searching.

_ Le Cygne d’Or _ became her first stop. It was a nice shop, but focused more on necklaces and bracelets than rings. The ring case was fairly small, but the rings it held were all beautiful… if not something she could see Adrien wearing, someone else was sure to enjoy them.

She did stop and talk to an employee so that the other shops she’d be walking into she’d have some knowledge for, and get the names of the gems that drew her eye.

“So, what other options could I have for green jewels?” she asked, trying to avoid looking at the price tags on the emerald rings.

“Well, peridot is another common one. We don’t have any peridot rings right now, unfortunately. Jade is extremely durable, if that’s something you’re concerned about. And topaz comes in just about any color,” the woman explained.

“Okay… thanks.” Marinette scanned the display case again. Everything was out of the price range she’d expected, some even over two thousand euros.

“If you’re not seeing anything you like, we can always do a customization.”

Marinette tried not to grimace. She had a feeling that a customized ring would be more expensive than a design already made.

“I don’t think I’m ready to make a decision yet…” she said.

“That’s okay. Take a business card, you can always check our website later.”

Marinette took the card and knocked over the entire container.

“I’m so sorry!” she said, bending to pick up the cards that had fallen to the floor. “I’d say I’m not normally this clumsy, but…”

“Don’t worry about it.” The woman was already stacking up the cards and placing them back in the holder. “And good luck ring shopping.”

Satisfied that she’d picked up a good number of the cards--she couldn’t exactly get the ones on the other side of the counter--Marinette left the store. 

“Tikki, I really hope all the rings aren’t  _ that _ expensive.”

* * *

It was no accident that Marinette’s school was near a concentration of fashion… everything in Paris. Boutiques, fabric stores, even interior design. And, of course, jewelry.

He took the subway once his classes for the day were finished, hoping he wouldn’t run into Marinette, because he didn’t have an excuse ready. She only had one class on Mondays, though, and often spent the rest of her afternoon doing homework, so in all likelihood, she’d be at her apartment.

Adrien had checked online to see which stores there were, and which had the highest rating. Now, he had a list in hand, and a kwami complaining in his shirt.

“Blue hydrangeas, Adrien. What you gave her on her birthday,” he said.

“I know that,” Adrien said, because the only reason he’d forgotten was from the stress of all this proposal planning.

He found his first stop with ease:  _ Le Cygne d’Or. _ Two employees were laughing at the counter, scooping up a pile of business cards.

“Can I help you with anything?” one of them asked.

“I’m just browsing,” he said, taking in the rings and wow… there were a lot of sparkles. Some of the rings were so big Adrien would’ve had trouble playing piano wearing them.

This place was rated high for its turn around, something Adrien cared about greatly if he was going to propose next week. He was willing to cut it close, though, if need be. And this place didn’t seem to carry the style of ring he thought Marinette would like. It was too glitzy for her.

He pulled out a pen and crossed the name off his list as he left.

* * *

Much to Marinette’s relief, a quick google search confirmed that  _ Le Cygne d’Or _ was known to be a more expensive store. One commenter suggested a better selection and price at  _ Les Bijoutiers du Monde, _ diagonally across the street.

As she approached the ring counter, she couldn’t help but let her gaze linger on the women’s rings. With any luck (and she had a lot), she’d be out looking for her own wedding band soon enough.

She shook her head, then resolutely started scanning the men’s rings. Most of them were unfortunately lacking a design, and she knew Adrien would appreciate something more personal than a plain silver band.

“Excuse me?” she said to the man behind the counter, who was furiously typing. “Could you help me?”

“One moment,” he said.

Marinette hummed in response, turning her eyes back to the rings. Those that did have embellishments were mostly diamond.

“Okay, are you buying for yourself or someone else?”

“My boyfriend.”

“In terms of metals--”

“Actually, I want something with a green gemstone.”

“A green gemstone?” He looked over the rings. “We normally recommend emerald, then.”

“Isn’t emerald expensive?”

“It can be. Depends on the size and karat. Five karats is high for an emerald, and we carry a range of three and four karat emeralds here.”

“Oh, good.” Marinette was glad to hear that not all emeralds would be as expensive as  _ Le Cygne d’Or _ had been.

“Are you sure he’d want an emerald? Most of our men’s rings are just bands. If you want a design or an engraving on the inside, we can also do that.”

“I’m pretty sure he’ll like an emerald.” Marinette calculated her options: She didn’t see any rings she liked in the case, and this man was not being the easiest to deal with. He seemed to think that no man could possibly like a gemstone.

“Look, I’m just telling you what I see most of the time.”

“And now I’m just telling you that I’m leaving,” Marinette said, matching his condescending tone.

She didn’t stick around to catch his expression, which was the true tragedy of the visit, and even Tikki’s disapproving gaze couldn’t make her regret her sass. She wasn’t getting pushed around by jewelry jerks today.

_ Well, third time’s the charm, _ Marinette thought, looking around for her next stop. And her eyes landed on the small shop next door.

She couldn’t help her grin as she read the name-- _ La Porte-Bonheur _ . A charm indeed. She glanced down at Tikki, who laughed when she saw.

“That’s perfect for you two,” she said.

“They better have the perfect ring,” Marinette agreed, stepping inside.

There was only one employee in the shop, talking on the phone and taking notes. Marinette stayed quiet, looking over the ring selection, and wow. There were a lot of options--band styles, gemstones, and metals were all available in a mix-and-match setup with some limitations.

She was drawn to several bands with simple patterns and single flush gems. There was one in particular she though Adrien would like. It featured a twisted detailing circling the band, interrupted only by a gem (red, in the display). It was also skinny, which Marinette knew would be a good balance with his miraculous.

The employee set down the phone, looking over to Marinette.

“Do you want some help deciding? Or do you already have something in mind?”

“I’d like a men’s ring with a flush emerald,” Marinette said, hoping this was going to be the last time she had to repeat that information.

“An emerald? Right now, we have a variety of sizes and up to four karats. Did you see a band that you like?”

“Yes, actually. That one.”

“Okay…” the woman bent down to read the tag, then flipped through a binder, found what she wanted, and typed into the computer. “That’s a 2.5mm setting, and we have four green emeralds cut to that size, in two or three karats. Do you have a preference for the way it’s faceted?”

“No,” Marinette said.

“Natural or lab?”

She hesitated. “Depends on the price, I guess.”

“And for the metal, we can make this band in gold or titanium. What’s on display is… grey finish titanium. It’s a stronger metal than gold and is a little heavier and cheaper.”

“That sounds good.”

“We can also do a black finish titanium.”

Black finish? Along with the emerald, that seemed a little  _ too _ Chat Noir themed.

“Or a two-toned, with the braid detail and band being different finishes.”

“I’d like the whole thing grey finished,” she decided.

“Great! The band itself costs €60. I think it’s always good to go with a less expensive band when you’re getting something like an emerald, since it helps balance the overall cost. With a three karat natural emerald, your total would be…” --she clicked around on the computer-- “€350.”

Marinette nodded, not all too worried since she knew that was the more expensive option.

“And with the two karat lab emerald, it’d be €225.”

Marinette hadn’t known it’d be that much less expensive. “That sounds good.”

“Perfect, what size?”

“Size?”

“Yeah, the ring size?”

Marinette didn’t know Adrien’s ring size. “Uh… I’m not sure.”

“Don’t worry this happens all the time. Just give me your contact information, and I’ll hold the emerald and band for no charge, then call me when you know and I’ll place the order.”

“When would I get the ring, then?”

“Probably around four business days after ordering.”

Four days? She couldn’t get his ring size tonight, and not counting the weekend, that meant she’d be cutting it really close for getting this ring on time. Better a postponed proposal than a ring less than perfect, though.

She gave the woman her contact, put the materials on hold, and stepped out happy with her find. It was getting dark out already, something which surprised Marinette.

“That was wonderful,” Tikki said. “Adrien’s going to love it!”

“I hope so. I have to go home and finish that dress now, it’s due tomorrow.”

* * *

_ Les Bijoutiers du Monde. _ They didn’t seem all bad, Adrien thought. They had a wider selection than  _ Le Cygne, _ which he was glad to see. And certainly smaller rings, not that that was hard to accomplish.

He looked around for a bit, admiring the various rings. Sure, they were all nice, but he couldn’t see Marinette wearing any of them. Maybe if he could customize them somehow… but this was only his second stop, it wasn’t like he had to pick a ring yet.

“Find anything?” the man behind the counter asked.

“I don’t think so.”

“What, you want a band with gems on it?”

Adrien stopped. That was… weird. Deciding it’d be better to not bother, he left the store.

He ignored his list for a moment, just looking around. A necklace display in the next store over caught his eye. It featured a large necklace with a bright blue gem, and even though he was ring shopping, he thought that surely they had similar gems set in rings, as well.

When he entered, a woman was standing at the counter, messing with something on her computer.

He looked down into the case, his eyes widening as he saw all the colors. The whole display was lit like a rainbow, organized by stone size and metal.

“Can I help you?”

“Wow, these are beautiful. I think I’m looking for something blue, though. Like in the window?”

She glanced over his shoulder to the necklace. “That’s a topaz, so… this section here is all topaz.”

Adrien followed her point. Most of the topaz were clear, blue, or amber, with a variety of other colors mixed in.

“What kind of ring are you looking for?”

“Engagement.”

“Well, as cheesy as it may sound, most women I talk to like the heart-shaped options.”

Adrien laughed. “At this point, my girlfriend is surprised when I’m not incredibly cheesy. I do think she’d like a smaller ring, since it’d be more practical.”

“I can always swap a topaz for any ring you see that you like.”

“I don’t know… I kind of like this one,” he said, pointing to a small heart twisted around a pink topaz.

“That’s a white gold band, with small diamonds along the heart,” she explained. “And you said a blue topaz?”

Adrien nodded, looking over the different shades of blue there were. “A lighter blue, I think.”

“So, a swiss topaz, then.” She typed into her computer. “We have some in the right size for that ring.”

“Perfect, she’s a size-- What’s that?” Adrien asked, tapping the glass above a topaz that reflected the light in a way he’d never seen before.

“That has an aurora borealis finish. It makes it iridescent, almost holographic.”

“...Could I get that finish on the blue topaz?”

“It’d take a little longer to have ready for pick up.”

“How much longer?”

“I could get it to you on Monday.”

That was later than he’d like, but for the sake of a perfect ring… “I’ll do that, then.”

“Okay.” She turned the screen so he could see. “I’ve got a small white gold continuous heart double shank with diamonds, with a suspended circle swiss topaz and aurora borealis finish. What’s the size?”

“Five and a half.”

“Great! That’s €865, we can talk about payment options, but for ordering we need at least 20% down.”

Adrien finished ordering quickly, as it was dark out and he needed to take the subway back home. Only as he was leaving did he notice the shop name:  _ La Porte-Bonheur _ . He smiled. Perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Porte-bonheur means lucky charm)
> 
> I have drawings of both the rings that I used to write descriptions, if you'd like to know what I was attempting to describe, [here](https://imgur.com/a/49lN7mT) is the link.


	3. The End

Marinette managed to not only finish her spring dress, and even show up at the very start of the turn-in window. Despite there being no class on Tuesdays, her Advanced Design and Production teacher had still marked the day as a due date. She was happy with her final product--a cute purple dress with a square neckline and flared skirt.

Of her two classes, this was easily her favorite. History meant notes and essays, while this class was about designing and following the process from sketching to large-scale production.

She’d also invited Adrien over for a movie night, which really meant she was trying to figure out his ring size. She highly doubted she’d be able to up and measure his finger without him noticing, and she was hit with the unfortunate situation of needing Plagg’s help.

Completely unrelated, she had recently acquired a very odd collection of dried fruit, nuts, and a single wheel of expensive cheese.

This morning, though, was dedicated to testing her crepe suzettes recipe. And, if she didn’t get a chance to stop by her parent’s bakery during the week, she called her mom on Tuesdays to catch up, so after she had all her ingredients out, she put her phone on speaker and dialed.

“Good morning, dear.”

“Morning, Maman.” Marinette cracked an egg into her bowl.

“So, what have you been up to?”

“I finished the dress for Advanced last night. It turned out well, though I ended up pinking a few seams to save time.”

“You didn’t stay up too late?”

“I’m up now, aren’t I?” She added flour and sugar, grabbed a whisk, and started mixing. “Oh, and I went ring shopping yesterday.”

“Ring shopping?”

“I’m going to propose to Adrien. The ring I chose is beautiful, it’s got this emerald in the center, and a rope braid around the band.”

“Are you now?” The smile in Sabine’s voice could be heard over the phone. “He’s going to love it. When are you proposing?”

Marinette poured the first crepe into her pan. “In a week, once I have the ring. I’m going to make crepe suzette--actually, I’m testing it right now.”

“Suzette? Don’t set your apartment on fire.”

“I can’t flambe it; I don’t have a gas stove. And I’m not dropping a lit match into my food.”

“Good choice. The bakery’s been busy. You know that couple we made a cake for last year? The one with the red sweater? Well, they came back in and ordered a dozen penguin cupcakes.”

“Penguins?”

“The second they left, your father and I both burst out laughing.”

By the time her mother had to leave, Marinette had a stack of crepes and had juiced her orange. The suzette was a success, and though she couldn’t eat more than a single crepe--it was so, so sweet--Tikki happily ate what she wanted and stowed away the rest.

* * *

Adrien stood on the balcony, taking it all in. He and Marinette used to sit out here for hours, doing homework, or just hanging out. It truly was the perfect place to propose. But as much as Sabine and Tom had been doing, it wasn’t clean.

Sure, all the plants were alive and watered, but they weren’t pruned and spiders had taken over the pots. Armed with a broom, shears, and bucket, he set to work.

He’d also brought up light strings since Marinette’s had been taken down. One to hang above, like hers had a smaller one to put around the railing. He hadn’t been able to find hydrangeas, but he’d ordered white hyacinth, which meant loveliness and was a common wedding flower, so that was pointing them in the right direction.

Plagg, as always, was hovering around and making fun of him as he saw fit.

“Oh, Marinette, I cleaned your childhood balcony, marry me for this weird display of devotion.”

Adrien brushed off the tangle of webs between the plants. “Would you rather a spider land on her head?”

“Nope,” Plagg said, cackling. “Ah, man, Pigtails is gonna freak.”

“You think she’s gonna freak?”

Plagg’s eyes widened, and he quickly backtracked. “Well, yeah. Isn’t the whole point to surprise her?”

Adrien stood up. “Kind of? We’ve talked about getting married, and we know we both want that, but the exact moment you propose is supposed to be a surprise.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth.”

* * *

Marinette had just finished popping corn when Adrien showed up. She ushered him in and poured the popcorn into a bowl. She brought them both mugs of tea, then sat down, making a big show of pulling the blankets around herself and settling in. She reached up to gather her hair, then paused. She frowned, showing Adrien her bare wrist.

“I don’t have a hair tie,” she pouted. “Can you get me one? They should be on my dresser.”

Adrien sighed. “Yeah, okay.”

As soon as he left, Marinette sat up. “Plagg?”

“What?” he said, appearing out of the blankets.

“What’s his ring size?”

“Why should I tell you?”

“I have dates, hazelnuts, and Torta del Casar.”

“Torta del…”

Marinette smiled. “Yes. It’s similar to camembert, but made with--”

“--sheep’s milk from a specific region in Spain. His ring size is nine.”

She sighed, pointing him in the direction of the kitchen. Plagg took off, and Marinette could only imagine the mess she’d be left to clean.

Adrien returned, dropping a hair tie onto Marinette’s lap.

“Thank you,” she said, pulling him in for a kiss before putting her hair up.

* * *

Halfway through the movie, Adrien got up to go to the bathroom. Marinette practically leapt toward her phone, dialing  _ La Porte-Bonheur  _ and hoping they were still open to calls.

“This is Sara, how can I help you?”

She dove under the blanket, hoping it’d muffle her voice. “Hi, this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I should have a band and emerald on hold?”

“Uh… yes, you do.”

“I’d like to order that ring, in a size nine.”

“Okay, we’ll have that ready for pick up Monday. Can I get credit card information now?”

Marinette hissed out the numbers, just barely having hung up when Adrien returned.

All she had left to do was pick up the ring and actually propose. She looked over at Adrien, smiling. He didn’t even know it, but soon, he would be her fiance.

* * *

Sunday, the white hyacinths arrived. Adrien spent the better part of the evening cutting the stems and tying them into bundles, which he could then attach to the railing posts.

The next morning, he got a call from  _ La Porte-Bonheur _ confirming the ring was ready on his way to class. Unluckily, he had several classes that day, and wouldn’t be able to pick it up until the late afternoon, cutting his timing even closer.

All in all, everything was coming together perfectly: the balcony was clean, his decorations were ready, and the ring was waiting for him.

After his classes, Adrien took his stuff back to his apartment and prepared the riskiest part of this endeavor. Actually picking up the ring. See, the closest subway station to  _ La Porte-Bonheur _ wasn’t all that close; Marinette’s apartment was in his direct path, giving him a large chance of either running into her or her seeing him. As long as she didn’t find him actively walking away from her apartment, he could play it off as a surprise visit.

If not, his secret was a bust.

He grabbed his jacket, ignored the kwami laughing at him, and stepped out of his door. This was going to be fine.

* * *

By Monday, Marinette was starting to get worried. She knew she’d be getting the ring later than she’d wanted, but it wasn’t until that afternoon that she got a call saying she could pick it up.

Even then, she couldn’t run over and get it right away--she was deep in her sketching, desperately trying to brainstorm for her next assignment. Later than she would have liked, she had a few designs started and could finally leave to pick up the ring.

She collected her coat and a scarf, Tikki floating excitedly behind her.

This was it. Get the ring, and tomorrow, just over twenty-four hours from now, propose.

The air was crisp outside, today had brought back the worst of winter’s cold, and Marinette tugged her scarf tighter. She took a deep breath. She was ready.

* * *

The ring was perfect. Adrien turned it over in his hand, admiring the iridescent sheen he knew Marinette would love. The diamonds twisted around the topaz in a way that meant the light was always hitting at least one.

“Would you like a bag?”

“No, thanks.” Adrien placed the ring back in its box. He could just keep it in his pocket--it was likely safer there anyway. He turned to leave.

“Good luck.”

Adrien smiled and thanked her. His lady gave him all the luck he needed.

* * *

Marinette’s shoes clumped on the pavement, uncrowded thanks to the cold. The winter sun hung low in the sky, though it wouldn’t be setting for several hours. She hadn’t put on a hat and was starting to regret that now. For any warmth it was worth, she untied her hair, letting it fall around her face and cold ears.

She tucked the hair tie into her pocket, shaking her hair out of her face. She looked up, and came to a sudden halt.

“Adrien?”

He stopped walking, his hands clasping to cover whatever he was holding. “Marinette.”

“Why are you… I didn’t think you were coming over today.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Oh.” She pulled at her cuffs. “Well, it’s good to see you anyway.”

“Yeah, it’s good to see you too.”

Marinette closed the distance between them, reaching a hand up to his neck and pulling him in for a simple kiss. Adrien’s arms wrapped around her, his hands at the base of her neck and curling around the ends of her hair. Somehow, with that action, a small black box tumbled onto the sidewalk and popped open.

She pulled away, intending to pick up what he’d dropped, but stopped when she saw what it was. Still in the box was the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen, sparkling in the shape of a heart.

They both stared at it for a long moment, before Marinette realized what a ring like that meant.

“Adrien, will you marry me?”

“Aren’t I the one with the ring?” he asked, shocked, and bent over to pick up the ring.

“I-- I was on my way to get one.”

“I’ve got twenty hyacinths in my apartment, I think I still get to ask.”

“Yeah, but…” Marinette grabbed his collar. “I already asked. And you kind of have to say yes now that I know you were gonna ask, so… Adrien, will you marry me?”

Adrien smiled, because he did have to say yes, didn’t he? “Marinette, I love you, and--”

“Just say you’ll marry me,” she groaned, her forehead hitting his chest. He couldn’t tell when it had started, but snow was falling around them, sticking to Marinette’s dark hair like a constellation.

He put a finger under her chin, pushing her face up so he could kiss her. She smiled up at him, white flaking her hair and melting onto her skin.

“Of course I’ll marry you, Bugaboo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aren't these two adorable?
> 
> Also, tomorrow (today, depending on your timezone), I'm going to be posting the first chapter of a new fic I'm excited for. It's called The Bug and Chat Show, and it's post-reveal shenanigans involving a video series on the Ladyblog, and I'd love if you wanted to check it out.


	4. outtake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't fit this into the last chapter, as much as I wanted to... so here's Adrien's reaction to his ring!

Adrien waited outside the jewelry shop while Marinette got his ring. After laughing about their having bought rings from the same place, they’d decided to avoid explaining what had happened when Adrien showed up for the second time that night.

She came bounding back out, her grin impossibly big.

“Adrien, it’s wonderful!”

He stared at the ring resting in her palm, and had to agree. It wasn’t overly showy, but the detailing made it eye-catching in its own way. And the emerald caught the light, facets shining beautifully, a missable reference to his transformation as Chat.

Marinette stood behind him, watching over his shoulder as he moved his miraculous from finger to finger, trying to determine where it matched best with his new ring. Her arm reached around his waist, her hand coming up to rest on his. The ring on her hand glimmered, the metal cool on his skin.

“So, now that you’re the one giving me a ring, I guess I should ask: Will you marry me?”

Marinette laughed, her forehead pressing into the back of his shoulder.


End file.
